


Broken Ties

by Sapphiet



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Brother/Sister Code (TBD), Characters pairings in the story, F/M, Fanfiction, Fi (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Friendship, Fueds lingering through time, Ghirahim (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Humor, Majora's Mask, Multiple Timeline visits, Ocarina of Time, Odd Family Relationships due to time differences, Post-Skyward Sword, Sisterhood, Time Travel, Tragedy, Twilight Princess, What would happen if an OC decides to rattle Ganondorf, sibling bonds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-16 08:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18091043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphiet/pseuds/Sapphiet
Summary: Little Alice fell down a hole,Down a holeThat she could not escape fromDarkness,It continued to fill her line of visionUntil there was no escaping the hellish nightmare she created..Or had she?Only seeing the end to the dream could she finally see things clearlyThat is...If she was able to find the truth in timeWhat a sad tale indeed…That is...If she was able to find the truth in timeWhat a sad tale indeed…Too much had been lost,Too little had been gained,In the endGood byes were all that’s leftBroken ties,Furious feuds,And so many regrets,Many many regrets,That could never be taken back or undone.





	1. Prologue

_Things are going to be hard I know_

_It is not something I would wish upon anyone my darling_

_Life often throws unexpected twists and turns_

_But this is the last thing I would want to put you through_

_One who has lost her mother, her father, her sister, her grandfather- my husband and being separated from her twin since a few days after birth, one who has lost more and more_

_One who seems cursed with bad luck and is fated to be either alone or hunted by one of my own sisters_

_One who we locked away for being a threat to others_

_You despite being cursed are also blessed_

_Blessed with such hope and wonder_

_Blessed to still try and be happy when everything seems bleak_

_To help those no matter what_

_Even if it's a thankless job and are often misunderstood_

_Scorned for being in the way when your heart says otherwise_

_For that it shows you are blessed with knowledge that will continue to grow as the years go by_

_For this is my power, one that I have created-Knowledge and Time_

_Know that no matter what my darling I am proud of you, we three will watch and assist when in need_

_Even in disguise_

_Do not think you are unwanted or hated_

_No my darling you are loved._

_You have more than my blood to keep you safe_

_It would be seen dangerous to have this, but not everything is what it seems_

_Believe in yourself, for you have more potential in that heart and mind of yours, even if others say otherwise_

_Do not give up on life as things put you down_

_For if you give up, if you die there is no going back. There is no do over_

_There is only regret and misery_

_Wishing while what ifs fill your mind because you destroyed the bridge that would give you salvation_

_It seems like there isn’t but there is, there is always hope_

_You just need to find your spark, your goal_

_Find something that gives you meaning and hold onto it_

_Even if you feel alone_

_Know this that you are never alone_

_Stand up tall after you fall_

_Take a step back and breathe, see the world in a larger perspective_

_For everything is not what it seems_

_If you have a dream_

_Live for your dreams_

_For it will give another reason to move forward_

_Do not take a step backwards if things seem scary_

_For if it is the right path, one filled with peace and relief which contains no wars or hatred_

_Accept it with open arms_

_Do not allow pride to govern you for it will make you fall faster than you think_

_And most importantly_

_Smile_

_Smile even when things go bad_

_Even when things are against you and you know that you are innocent_

_For you have nothing to hide or feel ashamed about_

_Why should you?_

_They are the ones who wronged and assumed the worst_

_I pray that my sacrifice will not chain you to despair and regret my darling_

_For my death, my last strength to remove what would gravely wound you_

_Know that it was worth it_

_I would sacrifice my role_

_My existence, my darling light_

_If it means that you will live_

_I would do it again_

_No regrets_


	2. Chapter 1

Rain

It filled the night sky which made the air more fresher and cleaner, however on that night the sky was more darker than it was suppose to be causing some who were inside to assume that it was a bad omen of some sorts.

Guardsman who kept the bridge up remained hiding in their shelters to prevent themselves from getting sick from the heavy rain. Animals grew restless as they were confined to their homes. Children grew bored and wanted to play out in the rain until the sound of loud thunder hit their ears causing some to hide behind either of their parents.

A pale skinned brown haired man who owned a mask shop looked through the window as he placed a mask into a container, his expression neutral as he heard the loud thunder before looking at the mask. This time his eyes opened a bit than they usually did as a crack appeared on it.

“… A bad omen indeed” he chuckled to himself before closing the lid of the container. Beside him was a pale brown haired young man who stared at the heavy rain.

“Best stay home boy or else the omen might come after you” the man said before lightning appeared, for a brief moment it looked as it the sky had split due to how long the lightning remained before thunder’s roar entered their ears.

“!!!” the young man’s scream startled the owner just a bit as he looked at the male who was pointed at something. Curious the owner opened the box and blinked in surprise, for there in the box laid a pile of ashes.

“Curious indeed” the owner said softly.

“Are you not upset about-”

“Boy” this silenced the young man, the owner need not have to shout to silence the boy even as his voice remained even. “I need not be upset, for what I should be is curious” the young male blinked.

“Father?” the male asked but stopped the moment he heard chuckling.

“Why would a mask resembling a butterfly be reduced to ashes?” the owner asked softly. “For a butterfly symbolizes change- transformation, so why would it be destroyed? Hmm” the man closed the lid carefully before taking the box to the counter, once the box was placed he then looked at the window.

“Is there a disturbance I wonder? For any kind of mask could have been destroyed and yet this one was instead, a mask with special meanings to it” the owner pondered as he then opened the lid to see the ashes remained in the box.

“Is something bad going to happen?” the young male asked with a weary look as he held his hands together in worry. His father remained silent before sighing.

“Given the nature of this mask, something that could promote good change… it is likely” the owner said before dumping the ashes of the mask into a bin. “Such a waste indeed my son, it looks like whoever is destined for this mask will never obtain it” the owner tutted before closing the box.

“Is it important?” the son asked looking shocked.

“Well… they say it pairs up with a special mask, one that is sought by dark people who had such wicked desires” the son’s eyes lit up shocking horror “they say this mask could or might balance out the darkness it uses correctly with a kind soul. But if the kind soul is no more then it could explain the ashes” the owner said before looking at the window.

“Such a waste indeed” the owner said as he watched the heavy rain.

 

* * *

 

 

A girl with long black hair that reached up to her back stared petrified as she looked up at a monster that towered over her with narrowed eyes, her clothes were soaked and clung onto her body greedily leaving her slightly more cold than before. To her dismay she had no shoes or socks, just a pair of blue shorts and a white vest which exposed her some of her legs and her arms. Her fringe clung to the sides of her face while her teeth chattered slightly, whether it was due to being terrified or cold she didn’t notice. Instead she stared at the huge creature baring two large swords, it’s face was that of a pig but looked grotesque. On it’s head were long sharp yellow horns, it’s mane was blood red while it’s skin including it’s tail was a sickly dark green, for feet it had hooves while patches of green fur were on parts of the arms and legs. What confused her was that it had a cloth around it’s waist covering parts of it’s legs while some bits of cloth covered it’s arms almost looking like bands, at the same time there were bits of the cloth on its shoulder. What confused the girl even more was the red cloak that was being kept together with a yellow jewel. Did monsters wear clothes? Sadly she doubted that she was going to find out as it released low growls before moving towards her slowly.

“ ** _Found you_** ” came a low dark tone that made whatever hairs she had on the back of her neck stand on ends as it’s mouth opened with a low cruel chuckle. At that moment thunder rang in the air but neither moved as they were staring at the other’s eyes.

“ ** _What to do with you now that you’re all alone?_** ” it pondered, now knowing that the monster was speaking scared her even more “ ** _Shall I kill you now and take your powers? Or should I let you suffer slowly?_** ” the monster soon started salivating with glee as it neared closer to the petrified girl, it’s tail swished from side to side as thunder could be heard once more.

“… _It’s going to eat me”_ she shivered and mentally cried as she remained rooted to the spot, soon one of the swords moved towards her but she didn’t react as she was too scared to do anything.

“ _...Please help me, I don’t want to be eaten_ ” she mentally cried as tears ran down her face. Slowly a tattoo like mark that resembled an eye that was red lined while the outer part of the eye was yellow appeared on her arm but glowed faintly. The girl closed her eyes as if bracing for the end the moment the swords got closer and it’s breath was near enough for her to smell, what happened next however caused her to open her eyes as a faint whisper suddenly entered her ears.

“ _Do not close your eyes little one, it is not the end_ ” a faint voice said softly before the wind howled causing the rain to hit her back. However what startled her slightly was the sound of inhuman screams as the pig monster vanished from sight. The girl looked up at where the monster had once been, not knowing that she had fallen to the wet grass. Nor did she notice that the grass would stain her hands or any part of her, no she was too transfixed by what she had witnessed- a nightmare.

She wanted to wake up, to pretend that this never happened. All she had done before entering this nightmare was bid her aunt good night and was about to enter her room before appearing here. Had she passed out on the way to the room she didn’t know but this dream felt too real for it to be one.

Soon something landed on the ground just as the tattoo like mark vanished, the black shadow then turned to look at her numb but scared form. Very soon the rain started to stop before streams of light from the moon broke free from the clouds allowing the girl to see who was there. It was a tall white haired woman wearing blue and white armour. She stared at the girl with hard red eyes which then slowly softened as she saw the state of the girl.

“It is alright now” the woman knelt down on one knee as she moved closer to the girl, the girl however suddenly moved back slightly due to fear. Was this woman going to hurt her as well? Seeing this reaction made the woman pause, her hand remained in the air almost as if she was going to grab the girl causing the girl to stare at her with fear. Normally this wouldn’t affect the woman but she was unable to understand why such a look would trouble her now. After all this girl was not someone she knew and yet… she felt as if she did. Which in itself irked her deeply. She then stared at the crimson stained vest and bit the inside of her cheek, what could she do to ease such a petrified child? After all what they both saw troubled the woman after all the monster was something she had not seen. Soon a thought came to her mind, getting up she went to the bridge and jumped. Once she climbed over she ordered the nearest solder to open the bridge startling them but neither refused her order, once the bridge was done she spied a long brown cloth resting on the table.

 

* * *

 

The girl remained staring at the spot where the monster had been, not once did she move or shiver from the cold. Nor did she feel pain anywhere, no all she wanted to do was to wake up but no matter how she willed herself to wake up. Nothing happened. She was still on the grassy area where a now open bridge rested.

The girl soon jumped as she felt something rough and scratchy tough her causing her too look up at the white haired woman.

“Don’t be afraid I am here to help, you’ve been injured by that monster so I need to get you to a safe place” the girl looked up at her with a numb but scared expression that broke the woman’s heart. “I promise” the woman said with a determined but soft look. Slowly the girl blinked before she winced and whimpered as soon as the adrenaline left her system. Instinctively she moved a hand to where there was pain which was on the right side of her neck. There where her fingers touched was a long line which leaked sticky red blood. The woman soon touched the girl’s hand and moved it away so she could see how bad the injury was. Her eyes hardened at how bad it was and wondered how the girl was still alive due to receiving such an injury. Not wasting time she tore a long part of the cloth and tied it to the injured neck to stop the bleeding. Very soon the girl began to shake and cry as the pain got worse, seeing the girl hyperventilate from the injury and her experience made the woman pull the girl into her arms and covered her with a the cloth. Soon the woman began to hum a tune that caused the girl to eventually relax in the woman’s arms. As much as the woman wanted to take her to a physician, making sure the girl was in a calm state took over given that it would be hard to treat a patient who would make their injury worsen. Once calm the woman looked away from the moon which reflected in her ruby red eyes before looking at the girl.

“What is your name?” the woman asked softly as she kept the girl cradled in her arms. The girl slowly looked up with less fear in her eyes as she rested her head on the woman’s shoulder.

“M…Maemi miss” the girl said in a shaky voice, she winced from the pain but kept looking at the woman. “M-My uncle said it means honest” she added as she soon gripped the cloth slightly before looking down. The woman sighed before standing up but kept the girl in her arms, now sure that Maemi was secure she began walking to the bridge.

“ _W-What is your name miss?_ ” the woman paused as she looked down at the girl but masked her surprise, her eyes softened at how the girl had opened up in some way.

“Impa, my name is Impa”


	3. Chapter 2

A small girl with long blond hair that shone like the sun watched the now clear skies from her windowsill with a curious look on her face.

“ _It’s strange, the rain just suddenly stopped_ ” she mused to herself not looking away as the moon’s light gave her a sense of ease while the air remained calm.

“I wonder why it stopped?” she continued to ponder as she remembered the castle and everything around it shaking before the sound of a loud inhuman scream filled her ears, despite it being for a brief moment. The sound itself had filled her with such dread that it would almost be impossible to go back to sleep.

“Zelda?” a woman who Zelda recognized as Impa could be heard in the corridor, which in turn reminded Zelda that she had snuck out of her room to see the rain from the corridor opposite the door to her room. She didn’t know why, but something had told her that it was important that she did.

Light footsteps tapped the floor softly as Impa spotted Zelda, her eyes showing that she was not happy about this.

“Zelda it is past your bedtime and you have your studies to attend in the morning” Impa said in a light scolding tone. Pushing a strand of hair from her face Zelda sighed as she looked at the window.

“I felt a disturbance so I wanted to find out what was wrong” Zelda said softly before turning to look at her caretaker, she paused as she saw someone holding Impa’s hand. Someone small and about Zelda’s age which alarmed the blond haired girl.

“What happened? What is going on?” Zelda asked now looking concerned as the girl looked down with blank eyes, not once did she look at Zelda. Which in turn worried her deeply.

“Zelda…” Impa paused before looking at Maemi with worried eyes “this is Maemi, she was attacked by a bad monster so I brought her here to recover” Zelda’s eyes went wide before she looked at Maemi and then at Impa again.

“Is that why there was a scream outside?” Zelda asked looking scared from remembering the scream, Impa looked at her before nodding.

“Yes Zelda, it is gone for now but I am afraid that I do not know when it will return so she’ll be staying with me until it is safe” Impa explained softly.

“Doesn’t she have anyone to go to? Why was she attacked?” Zelda asked before her eyes went wide, a low scream left her lips the moment she saw blood staining the cloth. Impa soon sighed as she knelt down and placed her hands on Zelda’s arms in order to try and soothe the distressed child.

“I am afraid she has no one at the moment, for now she only has me to help her. You do not mind if she stays for a while?” Impa asked as she looked at Zelda. Zelda however saw the distant look in Maemi’s eyes, at that moment Zelda nodded with a determined look.

“Can I help clean her injury?” Zelda’s question shocked the woman before her eyes softened at the kind child’s question.

“If that is okay with Maemi, I’ll get the water and cloth” Impa said before getting things ready, at times she looked at the traumatized child from the corner of her eye. Even now she felt saddened for not being there to prevent the attack, she didn’t even know how old Maemi was but if she had to venture a guess. The child might be around Zelda’s age, which in itself was good since Zelda would have someone to talk to and play with. That and it could encourage Maemi to break out of her shell, but that would take time. Something Impa hoped the girl had.

“Can I have the cloak please?” Zelda’s question snapped Impa out of her musing before she looked at the sky, why in Hylia did this happen? This couldn’t have been a simple coincidence, it felt too strange for it to be so.

 

* * *

 

Maemi allowed Zelda to take the cloak while her blank eyes remained staring at the ground. She heard the sound of water dripping but didn’t look or respond when a wet cloth touched her neck, instead she allowed this girl to help her. Part of her just wanted to go to sleep and wish that this never happened, she wanted her auntie but things seemed like they would never happen.

Zelda as she cleaned soon spotted the injury was worse than she had originally thought causing tears to run down her face as she began to cry. The cut itself had started from near the back of her ear but to Zelda’s horror the end of the cut rested near the right side of the shoulder. However that was not the worst of it, what she saw made her go pale.

Impa who heard the cry looked to inspect the injury only to grow sick as the cut was in fact a bit deeper than the woman had thought causing some of Maemi’s skin to flap if she moved. Impa nearly gritted her teeth while clenching her hands tightly causing some marks to appear on the inside of her hands.

“Impa?” Zelda croaked as she continued to cry not knowing what to saw or do, this snapped Impa out of her anger. Not wasting time she took a clean cloth and pressed it to Maemi’s neck knowing that the girl must be in agony or was emotionally shut off to feel a thing.

“Zelda get the physician quickly” Impa said before scooping Maemi into her arms and rushed out with the blond girl running as fast as she could. Once at the door the physician almost glared until he saw blood through the cloth which then made him go pale, ushering the trio in the man began to apply numbing medicine before stitching the skin back. Impa as she watched knew that Maemi’s neck would completely scar to the woman’s fury, she soon noticed Maemi looking at her with broken eyes causing Impa to get up and kneel beside the distraught girl, holding Maemi’s frail hand in hers she made small circles on the back of the girl’s hand with her thumb.

“It’ll be okay, you’re safe now” Impa said in a hoarse voice as she tried to smile, Maemi however didn’t causing Impa to sigh.

“She’ll need to stay over night so I can make sure she’ll survive, it’s a miracle she’s even alive with how much blood she’s lost” the physician said as he gave Maemi a drink that would allow her to sleep through the night.

“I’ll stay with her” Zelda said with a determined look shocking the pair, Impa seeing this felt pride at how the young girl was willing to help someone she didn’t even know.

“If that is what you wish, but that does not mean you can skip your studies alright?” Impa said with a sly smile, to her surprise Zelda didn’t complain.

“That’s fine” Zelda said politely before looking at the sleeping girl. “I just want her to get better”

 

* * *

  

“Irresponsible! How could you leave the castle without telling anyone? What if something bad had happened to Zelda?” the king bellowed in anger as Zelda looked at her father in shock. Impa despite trying to have Zelda leave the room frowned at the king.

“I sensed danger and went to investigate it. There I was led to a girl who had been attacked-”

“A girl? She looks like a foreigner! Why would a scruffy child be near the area without an adult? Surely that would be deemed suspicious enough for you to see that it could be a rouse to make use let our guards down” the king said while glaring at the woman. Impa however twitched at the comments, no he was wrong, the girl who was in the medical room had been fighting for her life. There was no act or lie in her eyes and it made Impa more determined to keep the child safe. Even if she had to leave the castle grounds to protect Maemi she would do it, however what confused her was that what she felt for Zelda was almost the same for Maemi. Which in turn was confusing since the king had no other children, none that she was aware of. So why? Why was she drawn to the child?

“Whether she is foreign or not, a monster had tried to kill her just after the earthquakes started. It was no coincidence that I was led there” Impa said sternly “if anything I feel like the Goddesses themselves brought me there to save her”

“And why would it do that?” the king asked, as curious as he was the man was not happy that his daughter had been left unprotected and all because of this ‘feeling’ Impa had.

“That I do not know, but this is something I cannot ignore” Impa looked at the door with a neutral look.

“You are Sheikah! You serve the royal family!” he barked in anger “Your obligations are towards Zelda’s safety and nothing else”

“Father!” Zelda snapped as she stomped her foot on the stone floor shocking both adults, she puffed her cheeks in anger as she looked up at him.

“Someone- that girl could have died if Impa hadn’t helped!” Zelda said crossly causing Impa’s eyebrows to go up in surprise.

“Zelda, as your father and king-”

“Would you want a girl who is around my age to die? I would rather she lived than died, would you be able to live with that?” she shook her head sharply causing her hair to cover her face slightly. The king bit the inside of his mouth as he watched his daughter talk, of course if anything happened to Zelda he would not forgive himself. “That injury she had, it’ll stay with her forever. She has no one to go to, why would you want to send her away? That’s not what a king does” Zelda said while looking at him with fierce eyes that took the man’s breath away, there at that moment he could almost see his wife in Zelda causing him to sigh after some time had passed.

“Sire…?” Impa’s voice snapped him out of his daze.

“Let me see the girl” he said while he looked at Impa with a frown on his face, surprised Impa walked towards the door to the medical room and sighed the moment she opened it. There laying on the bed was a very awake Maemi but to the woman’s dismay tears were running down the girl’s face, Zelda soon stood beside Impa to see how Maemi was doing. She gasped in shock before running towards Maemi’s form, her shoes clicked on the floor as she rushed closer so she could sit on the bed Maemi was laying on.

“Don’t cry, it’s going to be okay” Zelda said with a determined smile as Maemi looked up at her with the same broken expression, soon the king stood beside Impa and frowned the moment he saw the girl who had a large amount of bandages around her neck.

“How bad was the injury?” the king asked in a grave tone while watching Zelda talking to Maemi who remained silent.

“She was nearly at death’s doors, it was a miracle she didn’t bleed to death. It was when Zelda was cleaning the girl’s neck that we had to rush her over to the physician to stitch the skin” Impa said in a calm tone, she wanted to be there sitting with Maemi but knew that she had to remain emotionless around the king, after all she answered to him. But it was hard to when the girl who caught her attention was still in a state. The king blinked in surprise.

“Stitch the skin?” he asked sounding alarmed by her words.

“Yes sire, the wound had been really deep” the king shook his head.

“She must have fought to stay alive, it truly is a miracle” the king said softly catching Impa’s attention.

“Sire?”

“Zelda has grown attached to her, I see no reason for her to leave the castle” the man said before sighing. “Will you be alright handling two children at once?” he asked with a stern look. Impa without smiling nodded.

“Aye, I’ll protect them both with my life” Impa vowed before bowing at the king briefly and went to sit beside Maemi.

“She doesn’t talk much” Zelda said with a sad look causing Impa to chuckle.

“Give her time, if she speaks it’ll open up the stitches” Impa said softly “now I doubt you’ll want that do you?” Zelda shook her head.

“Nuh uh!” Zelda said before smiling at Maemi. “Once you’re better, I can take you to the garden if you want Maemi” Zelda said eagerly causing Maemi to look at Impa who nodded with a kind smile.

“ _That… would be nice_ ” Maemi said mentally, Zelda however gasped shocking the king and the physician who then looked at them.

“I… Impa…what?” Zelda looked at Impa who chuckled, Maemi however looked scared until she was patted on the head softly.

“Maemi here is a special girl, take care of her when I am not around okay” Impa said causing Maemi to look at the woman.

“How was it that I could hear her in my head?” Zelda asked looking confused.

“Why don’t you ask Maemi?” Impa chuckled leaving Maemi more shy thanks to Zelda’s reaction, seeing this made the blond haired girl realise that she scared Maemi.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect it. You startled me” Zelda said before looking away shyly. Maemi blinked but refrained from tilting her head due to the stitches.

“ _It’s alright_ ” Maemi said softly.

“Well now you know she can talk without having to hurt her throat” Impa said with a chuckle that shocked the king, after all the woman hardly showed much emotions until today.

“But how do you do that?” Zelda asked looking more curious than before.

“ _It’s called telepathy_ ” Zelda blinked.

“Te…lepathy?” Zelda asked sounding confused.

“ _I can let you hear what I am thinking, it’s an ability I have since I have sensitive ears_ ” Maemi explained.

“Sensitive ears?” Impa asked as she sat on the chair near the bed.

“ _I can hear the hearts and minds of others, however I can also pro…proj_ -”

“Project?” Impa said while inside she was amazed by the girl’s abilities, Maemi blinked once signalling yes.

“ _I can project what I think and feel to others as well, but I don’t usually do it since others would not take it well and call me names_ ” Maemi said while looking down, this time Impa sighed as she felt Maemi’s sadness latch onto her. Zelda feeling this hugged her slightly so the stitches remained intact.

“Don’t worry, we won’t do that to you” Zelda smiled before nodding with a determined look that left Maemi almost wanting to believe her but knew better than to get her hopes up.

As the trio spoke, the king watched with a pensive look.

“ _Such a gift indeed, maybe that’s why she was attacked_ ” he pondered as he walked away from them so they could have their privacy.

“ _I just hope that the gift doesn’t lead us to ruin_ ” he said softly as he went to his studies.

 

* * *

  

“I think your powers are pretty neat” Zelda beamed as she saw a leaf levitating in the air. A day had passed and the physician changed the bandages but made sure that the stitches held.

“ _It’s not that special, my auntie could do better_ ” Maemi said politely as Impa observed the quiet girl with a calm look.

“The one who you were living with?” Impa asked now understanding why Maemi was unsettled, Maemi looked at her before looking at her hands which rested on the bed sheets.

“ _Yes, my uncle died when I was nearly five and his twin didn’t want me so I was sent to my aunt_ ” Maemi explained. Impa sighed as she looked at the younger child.

“I am truly sorry that you’ve had to endure this, no one should have to go through it” Impa said softly while Maemi kept her eyes down.

“ _My family’s had a stream of bad luck, it’s just life_ ” Maemi said blankly before looking at her left hand. “ _My sister and friend died when I was five and my twin is somewhere else, probably living a good life…I hope_ ” she said softly causing Impa’s eyes to become heavy at what Maemi had to endure, she did hope that the little girl’s luck would change.

“Things will get better, I know they will” Zelda said with a determined smile that left Maemi baffled at how Zelda could be happy, Impa hearing Zelda’s words felt her heart swell with pride knowing that Zelda would want to help. “Don’t forget once you’re better I want to show you the garden, there are a lot of flowers there” she said with a wide smile as she giggled. Maemi blinked before looking down shyly.

“ _The garden…sounds nice_ ” Maemi said shyly.

“It is” Impa said warmly causing Maemi to look with curious eyes, was it that interesting?


	4. Chapter 3

Maemi looked around the garden with a neutral look as Zelda had taken her straight to the area the moment she was deemed fit to move without any problems. Impa who had to follow the pair sighed heavily at how zealous Zelda was being and yet, she was relieved that Maemi was able to speak vocally even if it came out slow and she had to pause at times to catch her breath. At least she was showing signs of getting better to the woman’s relief. Impa at times would admit that she was watching over Maemi more than she was suppose to, which in turn gave her a feeling that she might end up leaving Zelda feeling like she was being left out. But in a way the blond child understood why. After all, what were the chances of what Maemi experiencing the same trauma again? It was hard enough to get the timid girl to open up but in the long run it was worth it.

 

If Impa had to admit it she was amazed at how Zelda was also getting attached to Maemi, another reason why Zelda didn’t mind that Impa was spending time with the recovering girl. In away Maemi was like the sister Zelda never had and allowed Zelda to be herself, something that was hard to do in the castle. She did at times frown to herself when some noble girls would scoff and comment about how she was taking charity in while some made cruel remarks about Impa and Maemi. However Maemi would just shake her head slowly and tell her not to retaliate because it would only make things worse. Whether it was Maemi being shy or showed how much she hated conflicts, some of her advice was useful in the long run which amazed Impa even more due to how wise she was from such a young age. However hearing Maemi’s advice made Zelda beam at how Maemi would try to help the troubled blond with her problems.

 

“This is a rose” Zelda said with a wide smile as she showed Maemi a red rose in her hand, Maemi blinked before looking around and then spotted a lonely tree in the distance. Curious she walked towards it causing Zelda to tilt her head in confusion.

“D-Don’t you like the rose?” Zelda asked before blinking in confusion. “H-Hey wait up!” she cried as she jogged towards Maemi who soon stopped in front of the tree. Soon Maemi placed a hand to the tree and stared up, her eyes then lit up in wonder as pink flowers bloomed on the tree shocking Zelda in the process as she was unable to understand what had happened. Impa who was watching from her hiding spot almost jumped off in surprise.

“ _What happened to the tree?_ ” Impa pondered since it was not spring and yet the tree was sprouting flowers. Soon the sound of giggling hit her ears as she saw Maemi closing her eyes with a wide smile on her face.

 

Maemi however as she looked at the flowers giggled as some petals fell but began to glow in light blue auras before taking the shape of white birds. Placing her hands up she giggled even more before a light laugh left her lips as some of the birds pecked her cheek before flying away.

“Um… Maemi, how did you make the flowers appear?” Zelda asked looking a bit nervous but awed by how pretty the tree was.

“They’re sakura trees” Maemi commented with a giggled before stroking the bird’s cheek lightly earning her a tweet in the process. “Nice birdies” she added with a wide smile as she looked at Zelda, her eyes were lit up making Zelda smile and yet Maemi could see uncertainty in her friend’s eyes.

“Birdies?” Zelda asked causing Maemi to blink “there are birds here?” hearing this made Maemi swallow thickly as she knew what that meant.

“You… you can’t see them?” Maemi asked as the light in her eyes left before a weary expression filled her leaving Zelda surprised and yet worried.

“There are birds over, is that what you’re talking about?” Zelda asked now sounding nervous, to her shock Maemi’s smile vanished all together before her arms were now at her side.

“Forget it” she muttered bluntly before walking away “you can’t see them” she added but Zelda heard her words watched her friend now walk to the steps by the hole in the wall and sit down in a slump.

“See what?” Zelda asked as she walked towards Maemi how was looking at the petal in her hand.

“It’s nothing, if you can’t see it then there’s no point in speaking about it” Maemi said bluntly causing Zelda to wince at how distant Maemi was being. Impa hearing this sighed as she landed and went to see the pair.

“Time to go indoors now, it’s going to be time for your lesson Zelda” Impa said softly before hearing Zelda whine.

“But I don’t want to Impa, it’s boring” Zelda added with a sad look.

“Your father is going to be watching you today so you can not back out of your lessons now. Apparently your results are dropping and he wants to know why” Impa said with a knowing look. Maemi meanwhile stared at the bird in her hand, the bird looked up with sad knowing look.

“But Impa-” Zelda bit her lip as she looked down.

“You can see Maemi afterwards okay” Impa assured the troubled blond. Zelda looked at Maemi’s emotionless look and bit her lip.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you Maemi, I’ll see you later okay” Zelda said while trying to be cheerful but Maemi didn’t respond.

“Maemi” Impa said softly as she looked at the quiet girl.

“Fine” Maemi muttered but kept herself closed off to Zelda’s dismay. Zelda’s eyes grew heavy but nodded as she went with Impa to her classroom. During that time Maemi slowly looked up at the tree and sighed.

“The last thing I want is for anyone to think I’m a freak” she muttered before getting up, the bird then fluttered beside her as she walked to the tree once more. Slowly she then pulled the bottom of the dress up and tried to climb, Maemi bit her lip slightly as it was a bit hard to do so but felt at ease as the birds somehow gave her a slight boast up. Despite having some cuts and grazes on her hands due to the tree’s bark she was able to perch on a safe spot on the tree and rested against a large branch.

“Why can’t I have a friend who can see what I can see?” Maemi asked the birds who appeared. She then looked at one of them and sighed. “Alia, am I that odd?” she asked the bird who she was sure frowned at her question.

“I take that as a no” Maemi muttered as she leaned back once more. She looked at the area through the petals and slowly closed her eyes. “Maybe it’s best I keep quiet, after all… all I do is lose people” she added before hearing frantic footsteps. Blinking she looked around slightly until a bird perched at a spot and gestured that the noise was to the left, confused Maemi tried to see only to blink in surprise as Impa started calling her name.

“Maemi where did you go?” Impa called now sounding frantic, Maemi watching winced a bit. Should she admit where she is? Which in turn might risk getting told off or being treated as a freak?

Then again Impa did show that she cared.

“Can you get her attention please?” Maemi asked Alia who made a soft chirping noise and flew towards Impa who caught the bird. To the woman all she had caught was a petal but to Impa’s surprise she could feel some life in the petal and released the petal which then moved on it’s own towards the tree.

All the things Impa had seen, this was the first time she would ever witness such a thing. How was the petal moving on it’s own? There wasn’t much wind and yet it moved freely.

Not wasting time she followed the petal, partly because she had a feeling who was making the petal move. Stopping at the base of the tree she looked up and saw Maemi when she squinted her eyes. Her eyes then widened at the seeing the shy girl however instead of scolding she chuckled softly before climbing up and perched opposite the weary child.

“I’ve never seen anyone do anything like this Maemi, tell me how do you do this?” Impa asked with a soft smile, however the smile faded as Maemi looked away.

“Am I not in trouble for sneaking away?” Maemi asked bluntly causing Impa’s brows to furrow in confusion.

“Well I wouldn’t call this sneaking away, more of hiding” Impa said kindly “So how did you get up here? Did you climb up by yourself?” she asked, again Maemi remained silent causing the woman to feel like Zelda’s comment had done more harm than good.

“I don’t want to talk about it… you won’t understand” Maemi said softly leaving Impa to sigh.

“I’m not going to judge if that’s what you’re thinking” Maemi’s eyes twitched slightly but remained the same “if anything I’m surprised that you can do this all by yourself, what type of magic do you have? After all it would take a lot to make the flowers bloom early” Impa asked with a smile as a petal floated to her lap. The corners of Maemi’s mouth went down.

“I don’t believe in magic” was all she said, however hearing that shocked the woman who’s eyes went slightly wide.

“Don’t believe in magic? Then what do you call this?” Impa gestured where they were at, Maemi huffed slightly.

“You wouldn’t understand since you can’t see what I can see” this confused Impa.

“Can’t see what you see?” Impa repeated as she looked more curious than before.

“Spirits” Maemi said bluntly, however Impa as she heard that froze.

“You can see spirits? Does that mean you possess the third sight?” Impa asked now shocked than ever, Maemi sighed as she rolled her eyes but looked away.

“It’s a family thing, you wouldn’t understand since all you see are petals but no birds” she said, this time Impa frowned.

“There is no need to take that tone with me young lady” Impa said sternly “all I am is just curious, it doesn’t mean you can be rude” Maemi then turned to glare at her.

“Try being treated badly because you can see what no one else can see, while your at it can you imagine your family being killed because of your heritage?” Maemi asked bluntly causing Impa to go pale “I’m not a sob story, I don’t want to be pitied. I didn’t ask for this life and yet I am enduring it so back off since like Zelda you’re clue-” Maemi froze as Impa’s arms pulled her close so she could hug the upset child. Maemi soon noticed that her face was wet but didn’t know why as she bit the inside of her cheek.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know Maemi” Impa said “however that doesn’t mean you can try to push people who care away”

“What’s the point? People I know leave me so why bother forming anything?” Maemi muttered as she looked away but accepted the hug, for some reason her shoulders shook even though she didn’t want them to and her cheek continued to get wet.

“There is always hope, no matter what you can always treasure your memories of them” Maemi then looked at her with a frown.

“It’s that hypocritical since it seems like you try to pull away from attachments?” Maemi asked causing Impa to chuckle, the girl had a point.

“But I am a Sheikah, my job is to serve and protect the royal family” Impa replied as she moved some wet hair from Maemi’s face.

“But I’m not royalty so why are you not protecting Zelda?” Maemi asked with a curious look. Impa shook her head.

“Because you are special to me, yes I need to protect Zelda but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me being with you” Impa said before a thought came to mind “So you don’t believe in magic, do people where you live believe in it?” she asked. Maemi shook her head slightly.

“It’s all smoke and mirrors” Maemi said dryly causing Impa to sigh.

“So how are you able to make the petals move?” Impa asked with a soft but curious smile.

“I summoned spirits from the petals, they’re called shikigamis also known as small ghosts” Maemi said almost dreading to speak out about it. To her surprise Impa’s eyebrows went wide but not in a negative way.

“All that by yourself?” Maemi nodded.

“I’m as what some people would call a spirit medium but I’m too young to summon actual dead people though” Maemi said with a shrug, only that left a shiver running down Impa’s spine. Part of the woman was relieved that Maemi could not do that at a young age.

“How long have you been able to summon these spirits?” Impa asked as one petal landed on her finger.

“Since I was a few days old” Impa went pale and almost dropped the petal.

“So young” Impa said in awe and surprise before closing her eyes for a bit.

“My uncle was scared though when he saw a lot of birds and petals in my room, apparently according to my grandmother I was just playing with them. Hence these bracelets as I got older” Maemi gestured to the crystal purple bracelets on her wrists which Impa had noticed were not on her before.

“Where did they come from?” Impa asked before Maemi looked away with a small smile.

“They were always there, I just hid them using illusions” Impa frowned.

“Are you hiding anything else?” Impa asked almost sounding stern which meant was she hiding any injuries. To her relief Maemi shook her head.

“No but I can’t take these bracelets off since it’ll be bad” Impa nodded.

“Okay, let’s get going now otherwise Zelda’s going to worry” Impa said before moving slightly. She did notice how reluctant Maemi was being and sighed.

“Just because she cannot see doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing” Impa said softly.

“But she was scared of me when I made the tree bloom” Maemi said stiffly before feeling Impa’s hand on her head.

“I’m sure she was surprised, once she’s recovered she will be back to her normal self” Impa said as she tried to assure the troubled girl.

“But what if she doesn’t?” Maemi asked now looking upset and scared which left Impa biting the inside of her cheek.

“Trust her” Impa said with a confident look that left Maemi nodding.

“Okay” the girl said softly before being helped down.

“Ahh!” Zelda screamed alerting some guards who then relaxed the moment they saw Impa and went back to their posts.

“Zelda” Impa said calmly causing Zelda’s cheeks to go pink from embarrassment.

“Sorry Impa” Zelda blinked as she saw Maemi in Impa’s arms. “Are you okay?” she asked while pointing at Maemi’s face Impa then noticed Maemi had been crying and took out a handkerchief before dabbing Maemi’s face.

“She’ll be okay, it’s been a busy day” Impa assured Zelda who now looked guilty.

“I’m sorry Maemi” Zelda said with a sad look “I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore” this made Maemi blink.

“I thought that you wouldn’t want to be with a freak like me anymore” this made Zelda and Impa snap their heads at her, Impa however showed she disapproved by the comment while Zelda was horrified by Maemi’s words.

“I don’t ever think of you as a freak!” Zelda cried out in alarm. “I was just surprised that you could do all that” Maemi however didn’t look convinced until Alia had made a soft chirping noise in Maemi’s ear. Zelda soon looked at the petal that was resting on Maemi’s shoulder by the crook of her neck.

“How did you get the petal to rest on your shoulder like that?” Zelda asked causing Maemi to bite her lip and look away until she heard Impa lightly cough.

“It’s… I channeled the spirit of a dead petal so now it’s spirit is in the form of a bird” Maemi said grudgingly knowing that Impa wanted her to speak. Zelda’s eyes as she listened went wide.

“Really?! So that’s why the petals are acting odd!” Zelda said with a wide smile that shocked Maemi.

“Doesn’t that upset and scare you?” Maemi asked wearily.

“No! They look pretty” Zelda beamed. “So in a way they’re all ghost birds?” she asked eagerly, to her glee Maemi nodded meekly.

“That is so cool! I wish I could do that” Zelda said with a wide smile that left Maemi a bit nervous. “Is there anything else you can do?” Zelda asked as she almost bounced on her feet, however that question left Maemi a bit more nervous.

“I… don’t think I should talk about it…” Maemi looked away confusing Impa but left Zelda shocked. “Last time… it didn’t go so well…and well… someone got hurt” Impa frowned but kept quiet since she knew that Maemi wouldn’t speak about it so freely.

 

* * *

 

  

“I’ll see you tomorrow, night Maemi” Zelda said with a wide smile before Impa escorted Zelda to her room.

“Yeah… see you” Maemi said before sighing as she sat on her bed, once the area was clear she then lifted her hands up and winced in fear as ice formed in a ball on her right while a ball of black fire appeared on her left.

“Sorry Zelda… I can’t tell you anything, especially about these” Maemi said softly as her heart grew heavy from guilt and fear.

“What type of fire is that?” asked a voice that left the hairs on Maemi’s neck go up, she then turned to look in fear as she saw Impa at the door.


	5. Chapter 4

Fear filled Maemi’s eyes the moment she saw Impa standing at the door, at that moment the first thing she wanted to do was run. After all there wasn’t a good chance of this ending well right? Given how she gained one of these powers.

 

“Don’t be afraid Maemi, I am just curious to see such a flame. It’s not every day a fire is able to be black” Impa said as she sat near Maemi but kept her distance just in case. Maemi during that time continued to panic as the balls vanished at will.

“I…I can’t say, if you knew” Maemi’s voice shook in fear while shaking her head.

“I will not judge remember, you know me” Impa said kindly.

“ _She’ll think I’m crazy and try to kill me_ ” was a thought that came to Maemi’s mind.

“Maemi…please” Impa said as she saw that Maemi was close to running given by the girl’s expression, what was causing Maemi’s distress? It didn’t sit well with Impa and at that moment her mind went to the monster that attacked the girl who didn’t even fight back let alone defend herself. Fear had paralyzed the girl to the point that if Impa hadn’t arrived then she would have seen a dead girl on the fields.

Maemi released a shuddered breath while she tried to calm herself, after what seemed like a long time sighed before placing her hands on her knees.

“ _No! It won’t end well!_ ” she shook that thought from her head, after all she did know Impa in some way and a part of her said that it was okay to trust her.

 

“You see…it all started-” Maemi looked at her with a sad expression.

* * *

  

“I’m bored” Zelda who was now nine whined as she slumped on the table, Maemi who rolled her eyes as she continued to read. However not once did she take her eyes off the page she was reading.

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Maemi asked dryly not looking up “after all your father for some reason decided to adopt me and make me study this rubbish” Zelda puffed her cheeks. It was no secret that Zelda had spoke highly of Maemi to her father to the point that it left the man intrigued by such a girl who had made Zelda happier than she had ever been. At first the man had assumed that it was because Maemi was about her age, only that changed when he saw how well the pair got along. Looking almost like sisters which tugged at his heart strings while his mind went to his wife who had died in child birth. Just thinking never seeing his wife again or having anymore children with her made his heart ache, but he dared not take these moments away from his daughter who chatted at times to an either smiling Maemi or a weary or calm Maemi. At one point he had invited her to a the grand hall for dinner but to his surprise Maemi had refused, saying that she was not royalty and would not fit in with everyone else. In polite words given the look in her eyes when she saw some of the nobles both adult and children, it had meant that she refused to sit near as Impa had kindly repeated ‘snobs and arrogant idiots who only lavish in luxury and food than give a single coin or kind look to someone who was less than them’

 

At first it did offend him until he spotted at one point some noble girls being rude to Maemi who just glared at them slightly before walking away. It did make him cringe slightly as the noble girls especially said cruel things to her.

“ _Why would a nobody be allowed here?”_ asked one girl with twin pigtails.

 _“Yeah she’s just going to ruin and soil this place with her poverty and maybe disease” a_ second girl who had ginger hair sneered as Maemi raised a brow.

 _“You both done?”_ Maemi eventually said dryly causing the pair to glare but said nothing _“good because unlike you two at least I treasure things, you two on the other hand are going to have bankrupt parents by the end of the year_ ” Maemi had said darkly causing the pair to shriek and charge at her before being sent into the air earing Maemi a slight headache as the screamed in terror from being lifted off the ground. What the king did notice before they were sent up was the brief glint in her eye, for a moment it looked as if her eyes had changed colour shocking him. Then again it could have been the light.

“Oh do be quiet and stop making a scene” Maemi said bluntly as she stared dryly at them. “Hey at least I’m not being violent and hurting people both with my hands or my voice” she added while rolling her eyes.

“Get us down now! Or else!” the second one screamed in anger.

“Why? So you can hurt me again? No thanks, you two can stay there until one of your parents takes you. I may not be like you vain girls but at least I value things that we only get once” she added with a shrug and left. A snort soon left the king’s mouth before his eyes shone with mirth. To think she would do something like that, but in a way she was right. She wasn’t being violent but in a way he had a feeling that this would create fear.

“ _I don’t care, at least if they’re away they can’t hurt me_ ” Maemi replied to him later that day when Impa had spoken to her about what she did. The king did worry regardless and then spoke to Impa about wanting Maemi to see what his job was like. To his amusement Maemi had been bored and yet at one point made a few comments.

“ _Good grief man! Just give him his land back and stop lying to our faces_ ” The king hearing this raised a brow as he saw the man’s face turn red.

“ _H-How dare you_ ” the man snapped from being humiliated in front of the king no less.

“ _No how dare you increase his tax, no wonder he’s retaliating. He only works for a certain amount and your house is swimming in gold. Give him his pay and give some of the other gold to people in need. Do you really need all that money? What are you even using it for? A golden money chair?_ ” she asked almost sounding sarcastic as she frowned at him. Soon the king now wanting the ‘war’ in the throne room to end made the man pay what he owed to the farmer and had to donate some money to an orphanage as a gesture of ‘good will’. Maemi as she heard this raised a brow at him but said nothing. To the man’s surprise most of the meetings he had quickly ended leaving him more than impressed, even Zelda who heard that Maemi was with her father watched with eager eyes. Sure Maemi wasn’t royal and didn’t have a kingdom on her shoulders, but she did in some way see things in a way that others didn’t.

“ _I am surprised that you were able to pick up on the fact that some were lying. Is that part of your ability to hear the hearts and minds of others?_ ” Zelda asked eagerly as she dragged a dismayed Maemi to dinner.

“Actually it’s because I could hear he was lying” Zelda blinked in confusion while Impa raised a brow. “ _It’s hard to explain but when someone lies, for example there is one time when I can hear a sudden pitch in their voice that makes them reveal they’re lying. That or they act in a certain manner_ ” Maemi explained with a shrug, the king as he heard this raised a brow looking more interested than he was letting on.

“ _So if I said that I threw a book at a noble girl last week?_ ” Zelda asked earning her sharp looks from the elders.

“ _I’d know you’re lying since you always pout and walk away_ ” Maemi said blankly, Zelda almost twitched at the comment but said nothing since Maemi did see her react at certain times.

It was then after a week had gone by Maemi had heard the news of being adopted to the king the moment she had woken up. The first thing she did when maids entered her room was scream alerting Impa thanks to the sound of broken glass next door as her room was next to Maemi’s. Given that she was use to this since Maemi had explained of her father’s talent to wind and how he could manipulate it to a certain point, allowed Impa to understand why Maemi could hear certain things like a lie since it could link to her telekinesis. Impa soon found herself walking over to the scared girl’s room to see maid’s going pale and shaking from what they witnessed. Shaking her head Impa had ushered them out and told them NOT to breathe a word about this.

Later on that day Maemi and Impa had then found out about what the king had done, Impa as she heard this felt upset as she grew attached to Maemi and saw her as the daughter she couldn’t have. Seeing that the king had also gained an interest left Impa unsettled until the king assured her that Maemi was still in her care and would never do anything to break the bond they shared. Surprised but thankful Impa resumed her duties after clearing her head.

Sadly for the king however Maemi was not happy.

“ _I don’t see why I have to bare this title since I’m not of royal blood, people are going to scorn and do rude stuff_ ” Maemi said as she gave him a weak look. Chuckling the man placed a hand on her shoulder.

“ _That maybe, however I know you have the power to respond in a manner that is just_ ” he said shocking Maemi deeply. After all it was the first time she heard him vocally say that he had a lot of trust in her but knew that it wasn’t a lie. Ever since she had started taking classes to her dismay but bared it for Zelda knowing that the girl hated it as much as she did.

 

“It’s not rubbish it’s history!” Zelda said almost looking offended as her mouth dropped in shock.

“I’m referring to the etiquette” Maemi said angrily as she scowled from thinking about the lesson “All these forks, spoons and knives! Why not just have one only and be done with it?” she whined before closing the book shut since she knew that Zelda won’t let her read in peace. “And YES Zelda, I find that having more than one God or Goddess to be farfetched” this made Zelda twitched at the comment.

“How so?” Zelda asked bluntly while folding her arms, curiosity still spiked in her mind.

“Well for starters, having one is in charge of one thing- fair enough. But eventually there will be power struggles and jealousy towards the other over what the other can or cannot do. One God or Goddess however can manage everything and no one can challenge or create problems or say my job is better than yours. After all if there is a Goddess of Chaos then where is the Goddess of Balance or as some would say Harmony? There will be war and problems and nothing would be solved or fixed if the so called Goddess didn’t exist? And another thing-” Maemi explained. Meanwhile Zelda as she listened looked as if she wanted to whine or run the moment Maemi went on another rant about how there should be one creator and nothing else.

“Let’s sneak out!” Zelda chirped now wanting to change the subject, hearing this however causing Maemi to go quiet immediately.

“Are you out of your mind? Impa would tell us off!” Maemi said bluntly “that and ‘daddy’ dearest will take it out on me” she said dryly causing Zelda to roll her eyes at Maemi’s sarcasm since her father had almost pulled his hair out a few times. Mostly thanks to the fact that Maemi refused to wear the pretty dresses he had given her, even some had been tailored to her size so there would be no problem in wearing it. Instead to his dismay she had chosen to wear plainclothes shocking Zelda since she also wore pretty things and wanted to see Maemi dressed up. Not that she didn’t think Maemi looked pretty in plain clothes but she did at one point want to see her sister like friend wearing something nicer.

“He won’t, I’ll take the blame” Zelda chirped as she continued to smile.

“The answer is no and that is final” Maemi said bluntly “It’s not safe and I refuse to be talked into it”

 

* * *

  

“Why me?” Maemi whined to herself as she was being dragged towards the town near the castle by a peppy Zelda, who as she walked had a skip in her step just from being out and about for the first time in a while. “I can’t believe I’m being dragged into this” she muttered darkly.

“Stop complaining! I want to have an adventure for once instead of being stuck in a castle” Zelda said sharply while grinning as her hair moved from her walking when she turned her head a few times to look at Maemi and then the route they were on.

“Impa’s going to be mad, your dad’s going to have a field day and send out the guards. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes it out on an innocent group” Maemi said wearily as she looked round before blinking as she hid behind a crate thanks to Zelda. So far wearing peasant clothes worked but for how long was what got Maemi wondering.

“And if your mum was here she would be screaming the castle down” Maemi added while using the same tone causing Zelda to glare slightly.

“You’re not going to stop complaining are you?” Zelda asked quietly but angrily since Maemi had been nothing but be negative since she convinced her to come.

“Nope” Maemi said bluntly confirming Zelda’s suspicions.

“Oh come on, where is your sense of adventure?” Zelda asked before ducking to avoid a guard.

“It went out the door the moment you dragged me into this, honestly Zelda I know you want to go outside but why not ask Impa? I’m not even capable of protecting myself let alone two people” she muttered while frowning at a now sombre Zelda.

“I’m tired of being stuck inside, even having escorts means that I can’t truly do what I like. Besides I thought you’d want to go outside since you’ve never been out before” Zelda said with a sad smile that left Maemi blinking in surprise before her shoulders sagged at the comment.

“Zelda…” Maemi sighed wearily before looking around. “This kingdom is yours, when you get older you can travel and help. But right now there are those who would try to hurt you and then what? It’ll make everyone who cares about you sad” Maemi explained before leaning her back against a crate. She allowed her feet to part so her legs were a v position, which if her adopted father had seen would earn her an earful since it was not ladylike. Not once did she care if the ground made the dress dirty since she already had a sinking suspicion that dirtying clothes would be the least of their worries.

“I know…” Zelda muttered before whining slightly, Maemi seeing this smiled.

“You know… I knew a Zelda before” this made Zelda’s ear twitch as she looked at her friend “she had a constant habit of sneaking out of her castle, this always scared everyone including the minister” Maemi added with a chuckle and a wide grin that made Zelda’s eyes light up with excitement.

“Really?” Zelda asked only to smile more as Maemi nodded.

“She always dragged me out of her home but we always had fun with her friend” Maemi looked up while reminiscing “when she was turned to stone, I felt sad because she didn’t do anything to deserve it and yet she was hurt for no reason” Maemi explained causing Zelda to blink before slumping at the change of mood.

“Did she turn back to normal?” Zelda asked, to her relief Maemi nodded.

“Saw my uncle as well afterwards before he left, still on edge about him since he didn’t want me in his life to begin with” Maemi shrugged, this however didn’t sit well with Zelda but she said nothing about it since it didn’t look like she was never going to be on good terms with her uncle.

“So why did you leave the other Zelda?” Zelda asked with a confused look.

“Well… to be honest I don’t know” Maemi replied “I just ended up at my aunt’s doorstep and stayed with her, not that I was complaining. It was fun staying with her” Maemi grinned eagerly “her cat was funny and she hates uncle a lot. She hisses and growls when auntie mentions his name” Maemi added causing Zelda to nod.

“Sounds like a funny cat” Maemi nodded in agreement as Zelda had a soft smile on her face.

“Her name was Prim, her twin sister Rose was with my aunt’s younger sister but I don’t know what happened to my other aunt” Maemi explained before seeing that the area was clear. “Shall we?” Maemi said before getting up only to almost yelp as Zelda dragged her down, just before Maemi could ask a guard went by.

“That was close” Zelda sighed before looking around with frown. “We might need some cover in order to get by them” she said as she looked for a path that was safe to go to. Maemi however sighed until she felt the ground where her hand was go cold, she immediately tensed up and her breathing hitched in fear.

“ _Oh no… not again_ ” Maemi cried before lifting her hand up to see mist like ice appear on her hand and winced. Looking for a place she saw an empty spot across and alleyway before sending her hand towards it. She almost jumped as she saw the ice hit the floor causing a guard to scream as he slipped and fell. Seeing this however made Maemi frown.

“ _You’re kidding! How could you not see that you idiot?!_ ” Maemi muttered darkly while Zelda’s eyes went wide from what she witnessed.

“Come on” Zelda hissed before dragging Maemi with her to a church like building, by the time they arrived did the pair relax while trying to catch their breath.

“How…how did you do that?” Zelda asked between breaths, Maemi raised a brow.

“And why would you assume it was me who did that?” Maemi asked before sitting down, Zelda however gave her a ‘you’re kidding me’ look causing Maemi to raise a brow.

“I saw that mist appear in your hand and then saw you send ice to where the guard had slipped” Zelda said bluntly not buying the ‘It’s not me’ comment.

“Okay in my defense that guy didn’t even pay attention to where he walked” Maemi said sharply while folding her arms, her eyes narrowed slightly at how foolish the man was.

“I’m not saying anything about that, I was just curious as to how you did that” Zelda said before slumping due to being tired. Maemi raised a brow but shook her head since Zelda was not going to let this go until she spoke.

“Fine… “ Maemi sighed “I use to have the power of water but that changed when I was playing with my cousin who could use wind. We had this idea to make snow using our powers, it was fun…until he hit me in the heart using his powers by accident” she said the last bit dryly. Zelda’s eyes went wide.

“And then?” Zelda asked now wanting to know what happened next.

“The wind froze my water powers causing them to as some say evolve so I ended up using ice instead of normal water. It’s annoying since my powers keep getting stronger” Maemi said grudgingly.

“Which is why you wear the bracelets?” Zelda asked causing Maemi to blink.

“One of the reasons yes” Maemi said before looking at the building. “Why here?” she asked with a curious look. Zelda then looked up and smiled.

“They say it’s a temple, I wanted to see if for myself” Zelda explained before getting up, she soon dusted her dress before smiling at Maemi.

“Shall we?” Zelda asked eagerly causing Maemi to chuckle at her eager friend.

“Sure, why not since we’re already going to be in trouble as it is” Maemi said with a shake of her head.

 

* * *

 

Maemi once they entered was immediately bombarded with a feeling of peace taking her by surprise, as she looked round she could also feel the spirits and the emotions that lingered in the temple. Curious she looked around until she saw a pedestal containing three holes.

“What are those for?” Maemi asked as she examined them once she got closer.

“I… I think this is linked to the Temple of Time if my studies are correct” Zelda said before Maemi looked at her after touching one of the holes with her finger.

“Really?” she asked before spying a set of steps and went up them. “What is with the door?” she asked while examining the door.

“That could be the Door of Time” Zelda gasped as a wide smile formed on her face the moment she saw the patterns on the door. “This could be the sacred Temple of Time which houses the Master Sword!” Zelda said now feeling glee at what she was seeing. Maemi on the other hand frowned.

“Zelda… honestly I doubt-” Maemi froze as the door started to rumble after she leaned on the door with her left hand. Startled she moved out the way and watched it open before them.

“Did you do that?” Zelda asked with wide eyes as Maemi glared from the comment.

“NO!” Maemi snapped “I did NOT do that! Why is it always me who does things?” Maemi ranted before they went silent. Slowly Zelda entered what appeared to be an empty room.

“Zelda!” Maemi hissed “Come back you don’t know if it’s safe” she added before biting her lip as Zelda entered.

“Come on, aren’t you curious?” Zelda asked with an eager smile, talk about an exciting turn. Who knew that they would end up in an actual temple where the Master Sword was suppose to be resting. Maemi’s shoulders slumped before whining mentally since Zelda was not going to give in that easily, she then steeled herself before entering the room after Zelda.

“Zelda we’re going to get into trouble” Maemi muttered as she followed her friend who then paused half way. There in front of them was not the Master Sword but instead half a pillar rested in the near the back of the room which contained three triangles that formed one big one triangle.

“That looks like the Triforce” Zelda said in awe, Maemi hearing this shook her head.

“That can’t be right, who in their right mind would leave it out in the open? It’s suppose to be in the sacred realm is it not?” Maemi commented before looking round to see grass on the floor.

“ _That’s odd, why is there grass on a stone floor?_ ” Maemi pondered while tilting her head, instead of being on edge she soon felt a sense of ease and calm from seeing the nature around them despite it being slightly dark after entering the room.

“If that’s the case then why don’t you touch it?” Zelda asked while folding her arms, daring Maemi to say no. Maemi hearing this shot her a sharp look.

“Because we don’t know if it’s a trap, seriously since you’re so desperate why don’t you do it then?” Maemi asked while glaring at her friend who looked at her weakly.

“Please, if it’s not the real thing then I’ll come and take a look. I… I just-”

“Scared?” Maemi asked dryly before sighing and shaking her head again. “Why me Zelda? This was your outing and yet here we are looking at some relic that shouldn’t be the real deal since it’s dangerous to be out in the open where bad people can get to it” Maemi said while looking at her weakly as Zelda had started giving her the puppy eyes to her dismay.

“Zelda no, you will not give me that look” Maemi said sternly as she was close to scolding Zelda for pulling such a stunt.

“Please Maemi” Zelda pleaded as she put both her hands together and rested them near her chest, seeing Zelda act like this made Maemi groan. How did Zelda do this? She was the older one out of them so surely Zelda should be acting more mature and yet it was the other way around to Maemi’s dismay.

“Fine… honestly I’m starting to question why I’m being so nice” Maemi said crossly, hearing Maemi relent however made Zelda’s eyes light up with excitement.

“Thank you!” Zelda cried before hugging a frowning Maemi.

“Yeah yeah…” Maemi muttered before shrugging Zelda off and went to look at the relic, taking a deep breath she started to walk towards the item in question. As she walked closer she took another deep breath and began to calm her mind.

“ _What is it that you want the most?_ ” a voice entered her head as she walked, she almost faltered before looking to the left and blinked as she saw flowers. A smile formed on her face as she saw how pretty they looked before looking forward and resumed her walk.

Zelda as she watched began to feel a little antsy, she didn’t know why but she felt as if someone was watching them and the feeling didn’t go away anytime.

“Maemi… Maemi I think you should turn back” Zelda said as the feeling continued to grow.

“I…it’s fine Zelda, after all it’s not the real thing right?” Maemi said with a wide smile that left Zelda speechless, there before her stood Maemi who looked so calm and smiled in such a carefree manner, which was odd given where they were.

“They said that if someone came here with a bad mind the place would be evil… but it looks really nice here. So who would want to disrupt the good feeling?” Maemi asked with a serene smile before looking at the relic.

“ _What would you to do with the Triforce?_ ” asked a voice in her mind, the moment Maemi lifted her hand the answer had been clear.

“ _Nothing, I wouldn’t want to use it for any means. After all it’s dangerous to use it and it could be used to hurt someone which is bad_ ” Maemi answered mentally assuming that it was a spirit who was speaking to her.

“Maemi please, come back” Zelda pleaded only to blink and hold her breath as Maemi touched the relic with her right hand, at that moment there had been a light glow leaving Zelda to assume the worst had happened and then…nothing.

Zelda blinked before rubbing her eyes to see that Maemi was in fact touching the relic and nothing was happening which left Zelda completely surprised and yet baffled given what she had seen.

“ _What if someone bad was hurting people? Would you then seek the Triforce or use your powers to hurt them?_ ” the voice asked, Maemi pondered for a bit before looking at Zelda with a child like smile.

“ _No… hurting people- violence only makes things worse and hurts others. If…_ ” Maemi paused to collect herself “ _if someone was hurting my friends, I would try to help my friends even if it means getting hurt myself_ ” Maemi paused “ _I learned from someone that power without control is bad-it’s meaningless, to use something you have no control over is dangerous_ ” Maemi explained mentally.

“Maemi!” Zelda hissed in fear as she looked round for who might be watching but saw no one.

“It’s okay Zelda” Maemi said while smiling shocking Zelda who was at a loss of what to say, especially since Maemi was always the one who was always on guard most of the time. At that moment Maemi could feel as if something warm envelop her. In a way it felt like she was being hugged by someone or something which left her feeling safe and at ease, in a way it reminded her of a person from her past which left her sad but happy to have met the person even if the ending was a heartbreaking one.

At that moment just before Maemi could speak the sound of a door opening caught their ears.

“Maemi come on let’s go!” Zelda hissed as she gestured for her friend to hurry up. Maemi bit her lip as she looked at her friend before feeling a gentle nudge on her back.

“ _It’s alright… run along little one_ ” came the voice, at the same time it felt like Maemi’s legs had a mind of their own and began to run towards Zelda. Looking back she looked at the relic with a sad look before running. Once she was near Zelda they started to leave the room.

“Why did you do that?” Zelda asked shrilly looking scared by what she saw. While they left the door the pair soon turned to see it close behind them slowly with only a small thump once it closed. Maemi blinked at the question causing Zelda to sigh. “I mean the relic, why did you touch the relic?” she asked looking frustrated.

“If that was the Triforce then it could have split, then what? It would mean you were imbalanced” Zelda added as she tried to stress this to her friend who was looked as if her mind was somewhere else.

“But it wasn’t was it?” Maemi blinked before looking at the door once more.

“Why did you even touch it?” Zelda asked once they were out the church.

“It… it felt like my grandmother was there, maybe the relic draws the spirits we have lost to us?” Maemi suggested causing Zelda to bit her lip.

“Who knows, but let’s not come here again alright” Zelda said wearily.

“Deal” Maemi nodded before looking back at the doors. At that moment she could picture a faceless woman with long azure blue wearing a white dress singing a lullaby while sitting on the stone ends of a fountain, Maemi meanwhile was resting her head on the woman’s knee. As she smiled she could feel a hand stroking her face softly.

“ _You’re a good girl Maemi, do not lose that goodness inside you and do not lose sight of what is important my little one_ ” the voice said kindly, for some reason hearing that voice in her memories reminded her of the voice that she heard at the relic. But why? Why did she hear it?

 

* * *

 

At the relic’s pedestal a woman with azure blue hair and eyes appeared beside it. She wore a blue dress and blue sandals. The woman had a sad smile on her face as she watched the pair leave but knew that neither could see her go.

“So that’s her huh?” said a woman’s voice that caught the azure blue haired woman’s attention.

“Yes Din, that is her” the azure blue haired woman said with a kind smile from feeling a sense of joy enter her heart.

“She’s not even suppose to be here and yet she touched the relic without breaking it apart” Din said while folding her arms. The azure woman smiled and chuckled knowing her sister was impressed despite the façade she was pulling off.

“She has a good heart, you can say she has enough virtues in her even though she is young. Give her a few more years and she’ll be ready” the woman said causing Din to raise a brow.

“I don’t like this, it seems weird that she was sent here a few years ago and then he showed up. It was almost as if there was a tear in time when that happened” Din said knowing that her sister was not happy about it.

“A tear which I fixed so he could not come back to finish the job he started, to think his move had given him more problems than solutions” the azure woman said sternly. Din sighed as she looked at her before looking at the relic.

“True, although given how and why she was brought here. I see no reason to just stand and watch” Din said while pushing some of her red hair from her face. The azure haired woman blinked in surprise from her words.

“You mean…?”

“Heh… she’s family after all right? She doesn’t believe in us which is odd since everyone here does and yet you chose to be part of her family in the future. That must mean she is special, will she be good or bad? That would be the question” Din said with a slight smile since the possibilities were endless.

“Or she could stay neutral” a green haired female suggested causing them to look at her.

“Would that even be possible Farore?” the azure blue haired woman asked in worry.

“Could be, after all she didn’t split the Triforce when she touched it. It could be since she answered to us that she doesn’t want it’s power nor does she want to use it” Din raised a brow while tilting her head to the left and placed a hand to her hip. “Something like that is rare, to seek something but not use it for ill will or for anything. Everyone always wants something but she doesn’t” Farore said with a slight smile.

“She could have asked for friends, her family back and yet she didn’t. It counts for something right sis?” Farore asked with a smile while Din rolled her eyes.

“Fine, I give with you” Din said with a smile before spotting Rauru looking at where Maemi had left to. “Let’s just hope that Demise doesn’t come back”

“But if he does and touches the Triforce?” the azure haired woman said with worry until she saw Din suddenly smirk.

“Don’t worry, I have an idea which is ironic since you’re the smart one” Din said almost jeering at her blue haired sister who groaned at the joke like insult.

“Let’s just go back” the azure haired woman said before vanishing.

“Whatever you say Nayru” Din grinned widely before Farore left after shaking her head.

“Don’t you shake your head at me Farore” Din said sharply before going after her but didn’t stop smiling.


End file.
